I don’t know how long I ventured across the seemingly infinite waters, but eventually I found myself approaching a city. I had never seen the city before, but its architecture and the surrounding landscape placed it somewhere in northern Odera, perhaps the Thomana kingdom.

When first Faye and later Yara returned from their perspective journeys to the other end of the world, they were thankful for the buckets Samos had found and placed before them. Just to be sure, he had provided Ralph with one as well, but as suspected the Son’Sha had no need for throwing up.

“What in Sevens just happened?” Faye asked, visibly shaking from the experience.

Ralph gathered the taen and wrapped them back in his chest. “You’ve just send a message across the ocean,” he answered. “Something very few have done before or even know how to do. It’s a shame the Connection seals dissipate after being used.”

Yara seemed as flustered as Faye. “I felt so strange,” she whispered softly but loud enough to hear. “As if I was no longer human but instead… something. I travelled across the surface of the ocean and over land like a snake wiggling through the underbrush.”

Ralph nodded. “A good analogy. What the three of you just experienced is the purest form of power there is. The power that’s everywhere around us all the time. We used it as a conduit to transport a seal for others to be heard hundreds of miles away.”

He watched the three of them one by one intently. “Let me be very clear on this. What you just did is known to no more than perhaps ten people in the entire realm. If knowledge of this falls into the wrong hands it could have disastrous consequences. We’re at a moment in time in which I can trust very little people. Ethel has been preparing this for a very long time, there’s no way of knowing who he has recruited without us knowing.”

“So now that we know who he is,” Samos asked, “what do we do?”

“Well, for starters, we stay on alert in case there are more assassination attempts.” Yara winced at his words. “There is the bowman that got away from Eder and no doubt there are more in the city. Yara, Faye, you two will always make sure to be in the presence of an Enhancer. Samos, you never let your sword leave your side. Remember the attack in Ilsas’ Spring.”

Samos gave a quick nod. He would not make the same mistake again.

“As for our course of action, our next destination will be the city of Vorna where we will gather with the first part of the fleet that will be gathered. King Phaeron of Keralis will make sure the fleets of northern Odera will be gathered at Paros and be ready to sail towards Acir. We will make the journey north from Vorna and gather the fleets their and those of Pyk before continuing to Acir ourselves.”

“You make it sound as if everyone knows exactly what to do,” Faye inquired curiously.

Ralph gave a smile. “Ever since the events of Gherald the Traitor, the Order has had several plans laid out in case of certain emergencies. Every Talented who is stationed at a court anywhere in the realm is aware of these plans and what to do when they are set in motion.”

“And what’s our role in this?” Yara asked. The confidence had returned to her voice, the recent experience of crossing the ocean fading away the trauma of the attack.

A sigh escaped Ralph’s lips. “Under normal circumstances you would be in Eresath by now, learning to hone and control your Talents and be educated in history, diplomacy, court etiquette… Instead, you’ll be travelling with me until we reach Acir. I’m not the best of teachers, but I will try to train you to the best of my capabilities. Concerning teachings on diplomacy and such, consider this a field trip.”

He gave a chuckle. “We’ll be leaving in two days. Make sure you’re ready to go at any time then.”

The three of them nodded and turned to leave the room. As Yara and Faye exited through the door, Samos hesitated. There was something gnawing on his mind. Something he had seen.

“What is it, Samos?” Ralph asked as he noticed him dallying.

Samos turned back towards his mentor. “During the… travelling to Paros,” he began, “I saw something strange.”

Ralph leant forward, his interest peaked. “Tell me.”

“When I reached the city, it suddenly vanished together with all the roads and all other manmade structures. The grass began to grow taller and trees began to appear.”

Something in Ralph’s eyes flickered, but he did not tell Samos to stop.

“I suddenly found myself on the coastline where I saw three ships in the bay. Some ten men rowed towards shore in a sloop and once on land, they said something about this being it. One of the men was called Owein, I think he was their captain. Then suddenly the city was back, the men gone.”

Ralph leaned back into his chair, his hands rubbing his beard and eyes upwards to the ceiling. “These are truly strange times,” he whispered before focusing back on Samos. “Do you know who the first to settle in Odera was and built his kingdom here?” he asked.

What does that have to do with this? “No idea,” Samos answered.

“He was a Son’Sha,” Ralph explained. “Centuries before the Order was founded, he sailed westwards from Herta with the goal of colonizing Odera. On the first journey, they sailed with three ships and after a harsh crossing navigated their way into what we know today as Blackridge Bay. He made land where Paros is now built. His name was Owein Moore.”

Slowly but surely, the meaning of Ralph’s words began to make sense in his mind. Did they make sense though, all things considered?

“So the ships and men I saw…” he began. “That was Owein Moore first setting foot on Odera?”

Ralph nodded.

“But… That must have been over three millennia ago!”

Again, Ralph gave a nod. “Normally, you wouldn’t be able to read so far back in time. My guess is the influence of the taen you were holding drew on your dormant potential and gave you that glimpse of a time long gone by.”

“But how…” he faltered.

“I’m sure you already know,” Ralph said simply.

And somehow, he knew. From the moment he had seen the city disappear and those men arrive on the coast, he had known. The ones who know all that was and all that is. He had looked into the past, witnessing events that had taken places centuries ago. Millennia.

“Wiser.” He whispered the word, knowing the consequences it had.

“Wiser,” Ralph agreed. “Reading the lines of power and seeing what they had once seen. It’s the rarest of the four Talents and is very difficult to manifest, but thanks to the taen you managed to do it even it was subconsciously.”

“I have three Talents.” He was surprised by how steady his voice sounded.

A grin appeared on Ralph’s face. “That you have, Son Samos.”

“Was he after me then? Cahen?”

Ralph cocked an eyebrow, surprise visible on his face. “So you’ve heard it then. Honestly, I can’t tell. There would have been no way for Ethel to know what you were, what you could be.”

Samos hesitated. “Could we keep this discovery between the two of us for now, me having a third Talent?”

Ralph eyed him for a moment but then nodded in understanding. “Developing your Wiser Talent will be difficult either way,” he responded. “As far as I’m aware all of the Order’s Wisers live in Eresath where they spend their days with their noses buried deep in history books. And as for me, my third Talent is Healing so you’ll get no personal tips from me I’m afraid.”

Samos shrugged. “It doesn’t matter for now, Enhancement and Sealing are of greater importance for the current situation. I think I’ll go train for some time to get my mind of things.”

¥

It was only after they had left Lord Aëron’s study that Yara and Faye realized Samos was not with them.

“Probably asking for sword training,” Faye joked and they continued down the hallways towards their chambers. The palace had never been a place of much joy or bustle, but never had it felt as dejected as it did now. The attack had left its mark on the mood of everyone they passed.

Servants walked quickly with eyes down while guards patrolled with a slight frustration to their step, their gaze regarding everyone they passed up and down. Ralph had instructed them to always stay near an Enhancer, but seeing as Samos had stayed in the study and there was no one else to be seen, they hurried towards their quarters alone.

A short walk later, Yara slumped on her bed. She was exhausted to the bone.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to stand up again,” Faye sighed from the other side of the room where she as well had collapsed on her bed. They had been sharing this room for the entirety of their stay here in Sandos and a friendship had grown between the two women.

More than one evening they had challenged each other with seals of increasing difficulty, sharing their life’s stories as they did. More than the training they received, those little games had pushed her to her limit more than once.

But now she felt beyond her limit, too tired to even form the smallest Light seal. The journey to Sikama across the ocean had cost her all of her strength. Halfway there, she had lost conscious for a while, only regaining it the moment the city came into view.

Something strange had happened though. The grand port had disappeared for a moment, making way for a smaller harbour. The city surrounding it had transformed into a small fisher’s town. Ships had suddenly filled the waters before the harbour, men in sloops rowing towards the short carrying weapons.

The scene had only lasted for a short moment before fading and being replaced by the city as she had seen it the first time. For reasons she couldn’t explain herself, she had decided not to tell anyone about the strange occurrence.

¥

Eder was frustrated. He knew he shouldn’t be, enough time had passed for the archer to disappear before he took chase. Still, frustration gnawed on him. There was always something lacking in what he did, be it in training or during a chase.

Venting his upcoming anger, he charged through his forms with the new blade Son Aëron had given him. There were some small adaptions to be done with the new grip, but it felt smooth and comfortable in his hands.

Alvina always said he was too hasty, too eager to perform. She admired his ferocity and drive, but at times he lost himself in the thrill of the fight too much and forgot about his lessons. Alone, practicing forms, he did not feel that thrill. There was only him and the sword, moving as one while striking and blocking invisible enemies.

Still, he was lacking something. Samos had sensed the arrow before it landed, but he had felt nothing. Was that the Sealer in Samos allowing him to sense the world around him more sharply? Or was he simply a more refined Enhancer?

He did have more experience than Eder. The fight against Ralog’s men, the attack in Ilsas’ Spring… And those were the only two he knew off. How did someone fight that well even before manifesting his Talent? And now that he had manifested it, how much more skilled could he become?

Eder felt a small stab of jealousy, but quickly resented himself for feeling that way. Samos was at least three years older than him, of course he would have more experience. It was simply a matter of time and practice.

He went through his last form and lowered his sword. Little droplets of sweat splattered onto the dry ground, leaving tiny markings wherever they fell. He felt tired but satisfied. The frustration had drained away with every swing of his blade. The sound of swords clashing drew his attention.

At the other end of the training grounds, several men and women were duelling with blunt practice swords. Recruits for the guard, Eder knew. Queen Saliha allowed only the best to enrol in the palace guard. An old Enhancer named Drest watched over their training. Eder liked the old man, they had sparred a few times during the past three weeks and he had proven to be an excellent teacher.

He walked over and joined Drest, who was overlooking the duels. “Are they any good?” he inquired.

“As good as they can get,” Drest smiled and Eder had to agree. Even if they weren’t Enhancers, they fought with controlled aggression and calculated defence.

One of the duels ended abruptly with a cry. “Seven’s sake,” one of the men called out, holding his wrist. “Was that really necessary, Reya?”

His opponent shrugged with a soft smile. “Keep your guard up and it won’t happen again.”

“I think you broke it,” he growled.

“Let me see,” Drest called out and the man walked over.

Softly, Drest took the wrist in his hands and felt the bones. Eder watched the injury as well, silently agreeing with Reya. He should have kept his guard up. The exhaustion of the long day catching up with him, he closed his eyes for a moment.

A light appeared in the darkness the moment his eyes were closed. A soft white light that began to expand into lines and quickly took the shape of a hand and arm. Curiously, Eder looked closer. Were these the lines of power making up the arm of the man with the broken wrist?

He noticed some of the lines were frail and even broken. Surely he could fix that. He reached out and latched onto the lines, fixing them one by one by re-connecting them and filling them with power. The amount of lines was vast, but from his experience with enhancing his own body he knew perfectly what line belonged where.

Once the last line was connected and back to its normal state, he opened his eyes. Drest was staring at him.

“Lad,” he said perplexed. “Did you just heal his wound?”